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Frankenstein
Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, is an 1818 novel by Mary Shelley. Having first written the novel when she was just 18 years old, Shelley created a unique but terrifying tale of what happens when science goes wrong in an attempt to restore the dead back to life. It tells the story of a brilliant but mad young scientist who creates a hideous, humanoid creature and upon restoring it to life, the monster soon becomes evil and dangerous and sets out to destroy his creator. Frankenstein is also known to be a Gothic fiction novel, alongside with having Romantism elements associated with it. After publication, Frankenstein not only remains as Shelley's masterpiece, but has also creatured an iconic horror monster in its own name. The novel itself also serves as a potential warning of the dangers of science and philosophy. Plot Summary Around the 18th-century, a sea captain named Robert Walton sets sail on an expedition to the Arctic. Writing in a series of letters to his sister, he describes his journey. On the way, Walton and his crew spot a giant man on a dog sled, followed by another man on a sled, exhausted and near death from exposure. Walton rescues him and brings him onto his ship. The man introduces himself as Victor Frankenstein and tells the captain his story. Victor grew up in Geneva, Switzerland and lived a happy, idyllic childhood. He had a devoted family, a close friend named Henry Clerval and is deeply in love with his adoptive sister Elizabeth Lavenza. As a child, Victor had a fascination with natural philosophy, alchemy and science. At age 17, Victor is enrolled at the University of Ingolstadt. Before he leaves, his mother dies of scarlet fever, but hopes that he and Elizabeth would marry one day. Victor arrives at the university grief-stricken and being away from his family. But he soon focuses on his studies as he researches on science, chemistry and philosophy. He becomes obsessed with his research as he discovers the secret of life and reanimation. He spends the next couple of months collecting body parts and constructing a human creature. When Victor finally brings his creation to life, he becomes so terrified of the creature's hideousness that he flees from it and wanders the streets of Ingolstadt. He meets his friend Henry Clerval, who is also attending the university, and takes him into his home. Victor cannot stop thinking about the monster he made and falls ill with a fever, even though the monster is gone. Clerval spends the next few months nursing his friend back to health. Once Victor recovers, he receives news from back home that his youngest brother William has been murdered. He returns home immediately, and he spots the monster lurking around the area where his brother's body has been found, and he suspects it killed William. Upon returning to his family home, Victor finds out that Justine Moritz, a young girl adopted into the family and assigned as William's caregiver, has been accused of his murder after the boy's locket was found in her apron pocket. Victor and his family try to prove that Justine is innocent, but she was tried and executed. Victor is guilty and distraught that he had indirectly caused the deaths of his two family members. Victor travels into the Swiss Alps to ease his grief. Along the way, he meets his creation and it makes Victor listen to his story. The monster begins to tell his own tale. After coming to life, the monster does not know anything about the world and life around him. He is constantly chased away by the locals as they were afraid of him and trying to be used to daily elements, such as light and darkness and heat and cold. He wanders into the wilderness and seeks shelter in a hovel next to a small cottage. While staying in the hovel, he observes the lives of the De Lacey's, an exiled French aristocratic family. The monster learns to speak by their language and teaches himself to read from books he had founded in a satchel. He even sees his own reflection and understands why everyone is terrified of him. The monster decides he wants to be like the De Lacey's and to be their friend. He tries to talk with the family's blind patriarch, but the rest of the family were horrified at his appearance and they all flee their home. The monster is disappointed and ashamed, and vows revenge on his creator for causing his ugliness. He comes across the Frankenstein family home while using his creator's notes on how to get there, where he kills William and frames Justine. The monster begs Victor to make him a female mate, so he wouldn't be lonely and have a companion just as ugly as he is. They would run off to South America together and threatens to kill more people if Victor refuses. Now fearing for the safety of his family and friends, Victor finally agrees to do it. Victor and Henry Clerval travel across Europe together and arrive in England. Victor leaves his friend behind as he goes to the Orkney Islands in Scotland to begin building the female creation. But he is constantly afraid of the consequences of creating a female monster that could put mankind in danger, and in fear and disgust, he destroys his unfinished project. The monster is furious when his creator broke his promise and warns him that he will be with him on his wedding night. Victor dumps the remains in the lake, but his boat ends up in Ireland, where he is arrested and accused on the death of Clerval, whose body was found close by and that the monster had killed him. Victor suffers a mental breakdown and falls feverishly ill. But once he recovers, he is acquitted and returns home with his father. After arriving back in Geneva, Victor marries Elizabeth, just as their mother had wished they would. But on their wedding night, the monster kills Elizabeth. Victor's father dies of grief shortly afterwards. Victor vows to hunt and destroy his creation that had ruined his life. He tracks down the creature as they head up to the North Pole. He was close to finding it, but he collapses from hypothermia and exhaustion, where Walton's crew find him. After Victor's story, Walton's ship becomes stuck around the ice and once it clears up, the ship immediately turns around and goes back South. Victor's health worsens and he dies soon after Walton rescues him. Later, Walton finds the creature grieving over his creator's body. He tells the captain about his suffering, hatred and loneliness. Now that his creator is dead, the monster himself can end his own suffering. He leaves the ship and heads up northernmost, and is never seen again. Characters Victor Frankenstein- The main protagonist and narrator, as well as whose surname is the titular name. He is a young scientist who hopes that he can create the perfect human being. But his project goes horribly wrong and his life would be destroyed forever. He was also afraid of his own creation and failed to do anything to help it. The Monster- Victor's hideous and terrifying creature, a humanoid creature made out of human body parts. He came into the world with no knowledge or thought but manages to learn about life's dangerous and sinful ways. He is also lonely and depressed that he decides that the only one to redeem himself is to take revenge on the cruel man who made him. Robert Walton- 'An explorer who is also the chief narrator of the novel. He describes his journey in a series of letters he writes to his sister back home in England. He and his men attempt an expedition to the Arctic circle, where he saves Victor from the cold, frigid climate and as he listens to Victor's story, he copies it all down into his letters. 'Elizabeth Lavenza- Victor's beautiful adoptive sister who he had grown up and falls in love with. She is loved and adored by the family, and she soon marries Victor, but meets her tragic fate by the Monster. In the 1818 edition, she is Victor's cousin, but in the 1831 edition, she was adopted from a poor Italian family and grew up as a foster sister to Victor. Henry Clerval- '''Victor's best friend since childhood. Both friends were fascinated by science and alchemy as children, and as he got older, Henry eventually made his way into university to become a scientist. He is also caring and loyal to Victor, as he nursed him from his fever and travelled with him across Europe. '''William Frankenstein- Victor's younger brother and the youngest child of the Frankenstein family. A happy, angelic little boy, William is loved and devoted by his family. He was killed by the Monster in a forest in Geneva as the Monster's way to hurt Victor for leaving him alone. Justine Moritz- A pretty, servant girl who had lived with the Frankenstein's as a child. She was responsible for looking after William and after he was killed by the Monster, it frames Justine as being the culprit, resulting in her being tried and executed. Her death affects Victor deeply. Writing history/Reception At the age of 18, Mary Shelley and her future husband Percy Bysshe Shelley went travelling across Europe. They stayed inside a cottage in Switzerland with their friends John Polidori and Lord Byron, as well as Byron's girlfriend Claire Clairmont. While being sheltered inside the cottage on a stormy day, the group decide to have contest on who can write the scariest story. At the same time, Shelley had a dream in which a scientist reanimated a living corpse and became horrified by it. She wrote it down in a short story and presented it to the group, and won their competition. Percy then convinced her to extend her story and turn it into a novel. Frankenstein ended up being published anonymously in three separate volumes in 1818. Her name appeared on the second edition in 1823, and was published again in 1831, with some changes to the text and storyline and a preface written by Shelley dedicated to Percy who died in 1822. The novel was met with both critical and negative feedback from critics. Novelist Sir Walter Scott reviewed the novel and praised the language used in the story but questioned some of the novel's events such as the monster's knowledge. Others were disgraced and offended, especially at the fact that Frankenstein was written by a woman. Some critics criticized Frankenstein's immorality and that Victor Frankenstein never got his real punishment by playing God and creating life himself. The novel was a major commercial success among readers and is even considered by many to be the first science-fiction story. Themes Curiosity In Frankenstein, Shelley describes her characters having a sense of curiosity and their morbid consequences. Monstrosity Nature Science Symbols Fire and Light Adam and Satan Foreshadowing * Elizabeth introduces Justine Moritz in her letter. Foreshadows Justine's key role in which she is falsely accused and executed of William's death * Victor's nightmare when he dreams of Elizabeth turning into a corpse. Foreshadows her eventual death at the hands of the Monster External Links Category:British Literature Category:Gothic literature Category:Horror novels Category:19th-century novels Category:Novels written by a woman Category:Novels